• Slavery Hasn’t Ended

    There are so many organizations responding now, it is hopeful. I heard another presentation today in my Kiwanis club on human trafficking. The statistics are astounding. Minnesota is ranked 13th in the nation for human trafficking. It’s not something overseas. It is something here. I love the story of William Wilberforce and his lifelong efforts to end the slave trade…

  • Do You WANT to See or Not?

    There are two stories of healing someone blind in Mark. In between those stories are three episodes where Jesus reveals to his disciples what will happen in a few days: He is going to Jerusalem. He will be handed over to the religious leaders to be put to death. He will rise up after three days. The contrasts of the…

  • What Holds You Back?

    Two books I’ve read lately are stirring me from my complacency. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible The question is this: “What holds me back?” In Mark 10 the wealthy man comes to Jesus to ask what he needs to do to inherit…

  • What Distinguishes Us – People of the Presence

    12 Moses said to the LORD, “Look, you’ve been telling me, ‘Lead these people forward.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. Yet you’ve assured me, ‘I know you by name and think highly of you.’ 13 Now if you do think highly of me, show me your ways so that I may know you and…

  • What Cessationists Think of Pentecostals

    Please NOTE: This is filed under HUMOR (whether you think so or not.) 🙂  

  • The Changing Face of Christianity

    The Archbishop of Canterbury is resigning. Mark Stevens wants the job. I’d vote for him if I had a vote. The issue with the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church is similar. The Catholic Church will face the selection of a new pope before too long, I’m sure. When Pope John Paul II died, they had the opportunity to step…

  • Keep It Simple

    Humans are intelligent beings. We do stupid things, but that doesn’t mean we are completely mindless. Too often we focus on the dumb things people do. Overall, the human race is intelligent. While we sometimes focus on the dumb things people do, maybe we need a reminder from time to time that we try to seem “too smart.” It’s one…

  • When We’re Not Effective… We Argue

    In Mark 9 Jesus comes down from the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John. He finds the rest of his disciples in an argument with the legal experts. 14 When Jesus, Peter, James, and John approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them and legal experts arguing with them. 15 Suddenly the whole crowd caught…

  • No Place for Timid Hearts

    As I read Radical and think of missionary heroes, there is a stirring in my heart about THIS being the time to step out in faith. We can’t wait for others. We need to hear the voice of the Spirit. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream Again in the Apocrypha, the CEB translated a verse in Sirach…

  • The World Doesn’t Deserve Them

    Our staff is finishing up the book Radical by David Platt. He ends the book with my favorite thing: missionary stories. Radical missionary stories. I fed on these stories when I was in high school and college. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream C.T. Studd was a missionary who didn’t believe in retirement. Instead of hanging it…